Different Choices
by veraklon
Summary: A look back at several cliches that make up the Pitch Perfect genre. My attempt at a darker, angstier version. Each chapter is a one-shot, with a reference to the fiction that inspired my take on what could happen.
1. Understanding

"No."

It hurt, so much, to say that small of a word, but Beca knew without a doubt that any other attempt at anything different than that simple negative would lead to more talking and discussions and possibly even arguing and fighting. All things that she just couldn't handle right now. Possibly never, truth be told. And it hurt to look into the broken faces in front of her; faces that she so often dreamt of kissing and making smile, laughing, loving. No more.

/

/

For weeks now. Maybe months. The two University Seniors had consumed Beca in ways that she once never thought possible. To find love and acceptance and peace with another person, much less two other persons… it was beyond Beca's ability to comprehend, but she had accepted them both as the gift that they were, even though each of them had been the sources of her unending agony and pain just as much.

Beca had fallen in love.

First, it had been Chloe, the space invader. There was no defense against the redhead. She ignored every wall that Beca had thrown up against her, every barrier that had worked versus all others that tried to get close, Chloe had ignored bulldozing over and under and through whatever Beca tried to block her with. All for naught. Chloe was determined to be friends and Beca had been too weak to properly defend against the bubbly ginger. And truthfully, Beca was secretly glad that she had made the effort. And that had led to Beca finding herself slowly but surely falling in love for the first time.

The second time had not been so overt. While Chloe was like a force of nature, blowing down all resistance, Aubrey had slipped in without any fanfare. Small gestures and kind words, listening when Beca needed to vent about her father or classes or the Treblemaker that wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Never any judgement or condescending looks or words. Aubrey became the rock that Beca needed to understand the world. Beca didn't necessary fall for Aubrey, as much as she accepted that she had fallen in love with her.

All of which meant that Beca had to decide who to pursue. Each offered so much, calling to something different within her own heart. Chloe with her wild eyed enthusiasm and joyful outlook or Aubrey's quiet strength and passion at life. Beca had spent countless hours pondering the pros and cons of loving one of them more than the other; deciding who she wanted as a lover and who as just a friend.

It all came screeching to a heartbreaking crash when Beca accidentally came upon the two kissing at the Student Union Building. Their easy movement next to one another, unconsciously moving in synchronistic harmony that spoke of time spent together. Beca's world went mute, the joy of music and laughter and everything else bright suddenly gone. She'd made her escape, or so she'd thought after making it to her dorm room, until the frantic knocking had jarred her away from the darker thoughts she was considering.

Blurry figures… ignoring her tears… stood at her opened doorway, each so very apologetic. Beca couldn't understand: why were they apologizing? Beca had been the interloper. Beca had been the one to assume so much. In her hasty retreat to almost freedom away from the sight of her heartbreak, Beca had realized that neither Chloe nor Aubrey had made any indication that it was more than friendship between either one of them and her. Beca was embarrassed, and here the two of them were, apologizing. Beca didn't want any of it. All she wanted now was to hide form the world and go back to the simplicity of being alone.

But they weren't going to allow that. Chloe with her wrecking ball against Beca's walls… and Aubrey with her ninja-like way of slipping through Beca's cracks. She could deny them nothing, allowing them both into her dorm. It was only by the grace of their Aca-Gods that her roommate was out.

Once they had convinced Beca to let them in, it was all Beca could do to hold herself together. Chloe had sat immediately on Beca's bed – a place that she so often occupied when the two of them were together, it was almost cruel to see her there now. Aubrey, on the other hand, seemed almost at a loss of what to do. She often sat in the desk chair, but if she took her normal spot, which left Beca to either only stand or sit next to Chloe… and neither of those option were currently appealing. Worse, however, was that Aubrey could sit on Beca's bed next to Chloe, but no one in the room was prepared to see what that might cause. Beca was sure she would puke.

"Bec." Chloe began, using her pet name for her. "We're so sorry you found out like that."

Immediately, Beca went on the attack. She couldn't just let it go. "So, I wasn't just clueless about the two of you? All this time, us spending time together? No one thought to tell me that you were together?"

Both Aubrey and Chloe had the decency to blush. They'd been caught out in whatever scheme they had playing at with Beca and now it was time to pay for their deception.

"What was this all for then?" Beca knew her voice was harsh, but her heart was broken. Not just the once, but twice, and at the same time. "You tow get your kicks playing with the freshman? Make her into the fool?"

"God. No." Aubrey spoke up from where she continued to stand by the door. "We like you, Beca. Both of us."

Chloe was nodding. "We wanted to see if you wanted to be with us. Like, together."

Aubrey took back over. That they were both carrying the conversation, Beca wondered if they had been rehearsing this. Practicing. "Chloe and I were both interested in you. We talked about it and wanted to see if you liked us. Both of us."

"Individually, at first." Chloe added. "And then together."

Beca sat in her chair; her legs no longer willing to carry her weight. "You both wanted me to fall for you? Right? And then… you'd tell me that we could all be together?"

"Exactly." Chloe answered, a smile breaking out across her face. Aubrey wasn't smiling.

"Beca?"

Looking at the blonde, Beca sighed loudly. "What would have happened if I only wanted to be with one of you?"

The two seniors looked at one another before Aubrey spoke, her fingers nervously twitching. "It had to be both of us."

Chloe nodded softly. "Bree and I have bene together for almost three years, Bec. We want you. Both of us, but it couldn't be just one."

"All of nothing?"

When both of them nodding, Beca closed her eyes. This was definitely going to suck.

"No."

/

/

Opening her eyes, Beca could see how her refusal was not what they had wanted. Not at all.

Chloe was crying, those huge blue eyes of hers filling with tears, some already trailing down her cheeks. Beca hated how she was the cause, but there was no way for her to help. Not now. Not over this.

Aubrey looked as if she was holding herself together just a little bit better, but Beca knew enough about the blonde to see that it was all an act. She was just as possibly devastated as the redhead at being refused.

Beca found it somehow ironic that she was now the only person in the room not crying. Did that make her a horrible person? She mulled that thought over for a moment before discarding it. She was still hurting. In fact, Beca was probably now hurting even more than she had been before the two came into the room and explained their plan – well, not that they had really explained anything.

Chloe was the first to recover. "Why, Beca? We could be great together."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Chlo. There are so many reasons why I have to say no. You just don't understand. It would have been a no if you have both come to me about this from the very beginning. I am so attracted to you. Both of you. I'd have bene the luckiest girl to be able to call either you or Aubrey mine. I can't be the third part of, well, whatever you were wanting. And now, knowing what your plan was and that it had to be an all of nothing choice, it definitely is a no."

Aubrey stood silently at the door. Beca could see that her eyes glistened now with unshed tears, but she was holding strong, most likely for Chloe.

"You've had three years together, Chlo." Beca continued. "I don't have that. And before you try and say that I would catch up, the truth is I never would. You have stories and jokes and memories that I don't share. And while you can tell them to me, I won't experience them."

"We'd make new ones."

"I'd be jealous of the ones I wasn't a part of. It would be hard enough with you two being such close friends and me dating one of you. Trying to be with both would tear at me."

"Aubrey and I would be there. For you." Chloe pleaded.

Beca nodded. "Yes, but then there's the fact that the two of you have been lying to me. I've been struggling with the idea of falling in love with not one, but two amazing women. And the amount of personal heartache I've had to deal with on deciding if I should pursue one of you or not has been hard on me."

"But you don't have to choose." Aubrey spoke quietly, almost a whisper.

"I didn't know that. And I bad as that was, I did finally choose. I had made my choice. I was looking for one of you tonight, to tell one of you that I chose you to love." Beca smiles sadly. "And to close the chance of love with the other."

"Oh." Chloe gasps.

"I can't be with both of you." Beca leans back in the chair. "I can't even be with one of you now. You're both in a committed relationship, happy and in love. I'm not going to a part of breaking that up."

"You wouldn't be."

Beca looked directly into Aubrey's eyes. "Are you in love with Chloe?"

Aubrey nodded. "I am."

"Are you in love with me? Honestly?"

"I think I am."

Beca nodded. "Is it fair to me to be in a relationship where you are more in love with someone else than you are with me?"

Aubrey got it. Beca could see when the understanding light bulb finally went off. It was almost as painful to see as seeing Aubrey and Chloe kiss at the Student Union Building.

"Come on, Chloe." Aubrey said, her voice sounding rough. "We need to go."

Beca watched as the redhead kept shifting her gaze between Aubrey and Beca. It was clear that she wanted to continue the conversation, to press her point of view until she got her way. Beca didn't envy Aubrey's task of explaining that they had failed in their pursuit of her. It would be even worse when Chloe realized, as Aubrey seemed to have gotten, that their friendships were over, as well. Beca would never be able to trust that either girl's motives were true.

Chloe stood. She seemed to hesitate as if wanting to hug Beca, but she wasn't going to stand. Aubrey took her girlfriend by the hand, pulling her towards the now open doorway. Pushing Chloe ahead of her into the hallway, the blonde looked back, tears finally falling down her face.

"For what it's worth. I'm sorry." Aubrey offered softly as they both exited Beca's dorm.

"Me, too." Beca replied softly after the door had closed.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / /

NOTE:

The Fan Fiction that the above is based around could be from several ABC or Triple Treble stories currently out there, but I was inspired by "Rolling with the Punches" that was written by RavenclawGenius and "Look Who's In Treble" by VeronicaSummers.

More to come.


	2. Affair

Beca doesn't care that its dinner time. Why should she, when her entire world is imploding in a way that defies all manner of description? It's like a really bad storyline on one of those soap operas that her mother used to watch before her hours changed at her job and she was working the morning rush at the diner. How had her life become such a chain of failed moments and logic defying circumstances that would lead her to such a monumental cluster-fuck as it was?

The front door of her father's house made an impressively loud crash, while the coat slash hat rack that the step-monster had purchased last Christmas failed to withstand the think, wooden door, it breaking and clattering on the hardwood floor.

She could hear her father and Sheila making their way from the kitchen to see what all of the commotion was about. The step-monster would be pissed about the destruction Beca was leaving in her passing, but for the life of her, Beca couldn't find an ounce of caring. This was most likely going to be the very last time she stepped foot into her father's home, as well as the last time she would ever speak to her father, so there was no reason for guilt or care for what might be broken within their home. It seemed only fair since Beca now considered herself broken.

"Beca?" Her father stopped at the hallway, his eyes taking everything in. "What's the meaning of this, young lady? You don't come into my home le-"

"Shut up." She interrupted. The step-monster looked like she was about to add her two cents in, but Beca cut that off at the quick. "And you stay out of this, Sheila. You're gonna want to wait until I'm done before you make even more of a fool out of yourself."

"Be-"

"I told you to shut up!" Beca screamed when her father tried talking again. "You have absolutely ruined my life. Everything you do turns to shit. I can't even believe I'm related to you, much less that you are a part of my gene pool."

Her head was splitting, possibly a migraine coming on. It didn't help that she'd been crying the entire way over to her father's house… that she'd not wrecked her car was a miracle, in and of itself, although at this very moment Beca couldn't really decide if it wasn't more of a curse that she'd not perished in a fiery crash. To think that just a few scant hours ago, Beca had been on top of the world… acapella champions… classes passed (barely but who cared?)… friends… a girlfr-

"I don't understand. What's happened?"

At her father's question, Beca fell to the floor; her legs refusing to support her any longer. Of all people, it was Sheila that moved to comfort her. Her father stood there with a stupid look on his face. Beca held on to her stepmother. She wondered if what she was about to reveal would mean anything to the older woman. And for not the first time since her world had shattered so completely did the young brunette wonder if she'd placed the blame unfairly upon the woman's shoulders.

In almost a whisper, Beca had to know. "It wasn't you that did it, were you? You didn't break my Mom's heart?"

Beca watched as Sheila's eyes went wide. This was the conversation that they had forever danced around, though in her heart Beca knew that her stepmother had always been open to answering any question that she might have had. Beca had simply never wanted to know. Not until now.

"No." Sheila spoke just as softly. "We met after your mother threw him out."

Beca simply nodded at the confirmation of what she already knew.

"What's this all about, Beca?" Her father asked again.

"Who did you sleep with? When you cheated on Mom?" Beca clarified.

Her father was definitely not comfortable with the question. "I don't think that-"

"Who?!" Beca screamed again. Sheila held on to her so tightly, it could have been to keep her safe or to keep her from attacking her father.

"Answer her, Glenn."

At her stepmother's demand, Beca watched as her father seemed to hold a silent conversation with his wife. For what seemed an eternity, the two adults in the room said not a word aloud, but a deep and possibly life altering back and forth took place with head gestures and eye movements. Beca was about to demand that someone say something when her father finally looked away, his gaze turning away from where the two of them sat in floor by the open front door.

"I don't know her name." He sighed. "I'm not proud of what I did. She was a student at Barden. I met her at that bar just north of campus where I stopped for a drink. Your mother and I were fighting about the move to Georgia… she wanted to stay in Chicago. I wasn't looking to cheat. But this girl, she said needed a ride to her dorm and I offered to take her so she'd get home safely. She had been drinking. I'd been drinking. I kissed her and then we were doing more than kissing."

Beca felt the tears falling heavily now. Her heart was no longer breaking. It was broken. "And Mom?"

"Your mother wasn't supposed to arrive until the next day. Your mother walked in on me still in bed and the girl getting dressed." He added softly. "I expected your mother to kill us both, but she simply called the girl a slut for sleeping with a married man. The girl left first, and then your mother left. It was over."

"And the girl?"

"I saw her a few times over the semester. She was hard to miss…"

"The red hair, right?" Beca interjected.

At her words, her father looked at her warily. "Yes. She had red hair."

"Oh, Beca." Sheila hugged her tighter.

"Her name was Chloe. Is Chloe." Beca corrected herself. "Chloe Beale. And until just a few hours ago, she was the light of my life. My girl- my girlfriend."

"Be-"

"Don't" Beca's voice was hard. "She didn't remember you. She never had you as a professor. There were vague recollections of the apartment you'd been renting, and Chloe thought you might have been a professor, but she was never entirely sure… but she remembered the car. She remembered that silly Troll doll that I had hung on your rearview mirror."

He looked so lost. Beca kinda hated herself in that moment, reveling in her own father's pain. "She was telling me her greatest regret, that she might have ruined someone's family. That she always wondered what had happened after she ran."

"You don't ha-"

"What? Not tell her?" Beca's laugh held absolutely no humor. "Too late for that. I was crying so bad that she wouldn't let me not tell her, explain to her that my girlfriend of the past three months was responsible for how my family fell apart."

"Your mother and I were already having problems."

"Sure. I get it. But those months where Mom drank? Or the fighting and arguing? You vanishing for a couple of years? Would it have been like that if my Mom hadn't caught my future girlfriend the morning after she fucked my Dad?"

"No, but-"

"And worse is that I have to wonder what all you did. Did she suck your cock? Did you use a condom? Could she have gotten pregnant with my half-sister? What about the morning after pill? What about ana-"

"Stop!" Her father roared.

Finally.

Beca nodded.

"Chloe lost it when she realized that it was me and my family that had suffered due to her reckless actions. All of my insecurities and hardship at making friends, trusting people… Chloe now blames herself, and I can't find a way to tell her that she's wrong.

"So, my relationship is over. Well, relationships, I should say." She patted Sheila's hand, letting the older woman know that she was okay to stand. "Chloe and I are done. Even if I could forgive her, which I don't think I can, I'd never be able to not think of her and you having sex. And that means I can't have a relationship with you anymore."

"Beca, please."

"No. It's done. I just came to tell you I'm leaving. For good. You no longer have a daughter. You're childless now."

"What can I-"

"Give me the money you promised." Beca says, her voice devoid of emotion now. "I stayed the year. I put myself out there. Made friends. Learned more than I ever wanted. A deal's a deal."

"Now, I don't think that-"

"I'll give it to you." Sheila offered. At Beca's look, she continued. "I knew about what your father had done… sleeping with a student. I always wondered if it would come back to haunt him, though I never believed it would be like this." She hugged Beca. "I've got a nice little savings account that I was going to use as a down payment on a beach house. It's yours."

"Sheila." Beca's voice cracked.

"I'm sorry that this is all I can do for you." She offered. "But if it can maybe help you heal, even just a little bit, then I want you to have it. And if you need more, call me."

"Okay." She sniffed back the tears that were threatening to fall once again. "Thank you."

"I'll deposit it into your checking account tomorrow. I love you, Beca Mitchell. I'm sorry it seems to be so little and too late."

Beca stepped out of the hug her stepmother had offered. She took a moment to center herself, knowing that she would most likely have to deal with all of the Bella's before she could escape to California, but she couldn't stay here any longer.

Without even the barest of glances back, Beca left.

/ / / / / / / / / / / / /

NOTE:

This tale came about after reading "Would you run?" by MagesticWriter15 – a story that (to me) had a great hook… one that I had never considered before, but I couldn't get around how forgiving Beca is towards both her girlfriend and her father. Maybe it's the non-cannon attitude that fan fiction writers often take when considering how closed off and argumentative Beca is with her dad, as opposed to the Beca that is actually portrayed in the movie. Either way, I like how this one went.

Another chapter soon.


	3. Interview

A Georgia teenager, whose former teacher is currently serving jail time for having a sexual relationship with her, opened up for the first time about their affair and said she had suicidal thoughts after her teacher's arrest because she felt guilty.

Rebeca "Beca" Mitchell, now 18, told ABC News' "20/20" in an exclusive interview that after learning that former Barden High school teacher Chloe Elizabeth Beale, currently 26, was headed to jail because of their relationship, she fell into a deep depression and thought "that maybe if I [would] kill myself they [would forget] about this."

Beca and her parents, David and Sheila Mitchell, sat down with "20/20" to talk about how the illegal relationship started and how their secret was revealed. The Mitchell's are still coping with the aftermath.

"I think it took her innocence away, because...that was her first time having sex," Sheila Mitchell said. "She robbed her of a huge part of her childhood."

Beale, an English teacher at Barden High School in Barden, Georgia, was sentenced this week to a felony deferred adjudication and will serve one year in DeKalb County jail. She pleaded guilty to one count of improper relationship between educator and student. The charge of one count of sexual assault of a minor for her relationship with the former student was dismissed based on the age of consent for the State of Georgia being sixteen. Beale also is required to surrender her teaching certificate and register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. She is not allowed to have any contact with Beca until she completes her probation.

Beale and Beca Mitchell's relationship began after Beca came to live with her father and stepmother after the death of her mother, Diane Linton, during the summer before her Junior year. David and Sheila Mitchell initially encouraged Beale to seek out and spend time with Beca after she began attending Barden High School, due to their daughter's depression. Beale, having minored in psychology, was recommended to give Beca extra attention with any behavioral concerns.

The young student didn't know anyone at the time and found comfort in her the sessions with Beale. "She was nice. She [started] helping me a lot with my attitude and making friends after my mom had died," Beca Mitchell said of Beale. "I [started] liking the feelings that... I [had] for her."

Beca Mitchell's parents were aware of her feelings toward Beale, and recalled their daughter commenting on how pretty she thought she was.

"Every kid goes through that, has a crush on a teacher," David Mitchell told "20/20." "This is an adolescent teen with just a simple crush. That's it. We thought nothing of it."

Before Christmas break, Beca said she wrote a note revealing her love for Beale, but she tore it up and gave it to her to throw away. But after break, Beca said she said something surprising. "She said, 'I read your letter,'" Beca Mitchell said. "She told me, 'I really like you, like, for real.' I said, 'I really like you.' And she...told me, 'I know, but we can't have anything.'"

\- A Forbidden Relationship Blossoms -

Eventually, Beca Mitchell's parents started to become suspicious and said they emailed Beale and told her their daughter needed to be taken out of her class because of her crush on her. The Mitchell's said they also called the assistant principal, Aubrey Posen, to make sure the school was aware of the situation, and Posen said she would move her out of the class.

But Beale and Beca Mitchell continued to talk on Facebook and she said things then became physical. "Monday I came to my school early before...school [started], and I went to her classroom. And I walked straight to her, and I kissed her," Beca Mitchell said. "When I stopped kissing her, I walked to my first class."

Beca Mitchell said she then returned to Beale and asked her how she felt about the kiss.

"She told me, 'OK... I want you to kiss me again,' so that's when I kissed her again," Beca Mitchell said.

Soon the relationship turned intimate. Beca Mitchell said she and Beale had sex after school in Beale's classroom several times. On one occasion the two even checked into a nearby hotel. The tryst was confirmed by surveillance video showing Beale and Beca walking through the side door together.

\- The Secret Is Out -

Beca Mitchell and Beale's secret started to unravel when Beca's parents said they received a phone call from the assistant principal, who told them that Beca had confided in another student, Stacy Conrad, then age 15, that she had kissed Beale and the two had taken selfies showing them kissing.

Sheila Mitchell said she also received a shocking text message from Beale intended for Beca. The message written partially in Emoji said, "You know I love you... I don't know what we're going to do, but we're going to be happy together... I'm worried about how obvious we are at school. I'm miss you."

Soon after, Sheila Mitchell said her son from her previous marriage, Benji Applebaum, then 12, told her that he had walked in on Beca and Beale in bed together and saw her bra and panties on the floor.

"Benji came to me and says, 'Mom, I have something to tell you.'" Sheila Mitchell said. "He says, 'She was here.' I said, 'what do you mean, she? Who is she?' He says, 'Chloe Beale was here.' And I said 'What?' He says, 'Mom, they had sex.'"

Sheila Mitchell said she quickly took everything she could from Beca's bedroom and called the police asking them to do DNA tests to prove Beale was in her own home.

"DNA from those sheets proved that she was there," David Mitchell said.

The Teacher and Student Affair Finally Ends

The police interviewed Benji and Beca eventually admitted to having sex with Beale. She was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a minor, but was released on bail and was ordered to stay away from Beca Mitchell.

As months went by, Beca's mother said she began opening up to her about her sexual relationship with Beale. Then she eventually told police.

"It's, like, you had the girl with all the dreams, and then you have a girl, thinking that her life is over," Sheila Mitchell said. "This is not your life. We brought you here to be happy, to have a future."

With Beca Mitchell's testimony and hours of surveillance video from the school showing Beca and Beale leaving her classroom together, prosecutors charged Beale with two more counts of sexual assault of a minor and one count of an improper relationship with a student and ordered her to wear an ankle bracelet.

But in spite of all they had been through, Beca Mitchell started secretly seeing Beale again.

"All the [feelings] that I have for her came back," she said.

Her parents hired a private investigator to follow Beca, and one night Beca Mitchell and Beale were caught together at her father's house. The police were called and Beale was arrested again.

Beale, her family, and her defense team declined repeated requests from "20/20" for comment. They cited her ongoing treatment for bipolar disorder.

Beca Mitchell, who has since received psychiatric treatment, said she is doing better and admits she still loves Beale, but not in the same way as before. When asked whether she will see Beale again, she said, "Maybe."

/ / / / / / / /

NOTE:

Two credits here. The first is for the story "I Dare You" by BlackLightning1212 and the second is for an article from ABC News and 20/20 regarding a situation in the ballpark as the story above. I get that the teacher/student story is fun and dangerous. I do. But I started really considering the potential fallout of that type of relationship... and that led to the above.

Thanks for your continued support.


	4. Soulmate

Five separate times that AngelMating, Inc. had contacted Beca.

The first, on her fifteenth birthday, was to inform her that she had already been matched with her soulmate, a rarity she was told at the time, due to the fact that Beca had not yet been fitted with her AngelMate Halo. It seemed, apparently, that her perfect match, had already been fitted and the Halo-to-Halo wing match had gone off almost immediately. All Beca had to do was agree to being fitted with her Halo when she turned eighteen and the match would be complete. It had taken her a few weeks to think about it, but Beca agreed. She had, of course, immediately asked about her soulmate, but was told that due to current legislation to protect minors, neither would be allowed to know the identity of their match.

Beca's next interaction with AngelMating was after her nineteenth birthday. Due to the circumstances of her parents divorcing and her mother's subsequent failure to remain sober and hold down a job, as well as Beca refusing to have anything to do with her father whom she blamed for the family's destruction, Beca had been unable to afford getting fitted with her Halo. So it would be that Beca would finally earn enough money by working several independent DJ gigs and working the occasional odd job before she could make it to the local AngelMating office to have her Halo installed. Everything was great until after the expensive procedure was finally complete, but Beca's Halo remained dark.

Which led to the third meeting where it was finally discovered that her soulmate had disconnected her Halo three months previous in order to marry someone else. It had been yet another punch to the proverbial gut for Beca Mitchell. AngelMating, Inc. initially refused to refund the installation fees until Beca hired a fairly good lawyer who sued them for well over the fees' cost. Beca walked away alone, but now she was rich… and while money couldn't but love, it could help alleviate the pain for a little while.

Five years later, Beca (now a fairly well-known name in the music industry as a rising star) was contacted once again AngelMating, Inc. to discuss the possibility of meeting her once soulmate – maybe again. Beca had laughed at the absurdity of the request and promptly hung up the phone. Her soulmate had abandoned her. There was no way she was opening herself up to that type of pain ever again, but the calls continued. Finally, utilizing her lawyer once again, Beca forced AngelMating, Inc. to explain what was going on…

At the fifth meeting.

/

/

The elevator opened inside the Atlanta Marriott. This was the first time Beca had been here outside of performing during DragonCon. Her mixes that had been used for three of the Marvel movies had made her an instant celebrity for the nerd crowd; a fact that she secretly loved. There had even been some rumors of her playing a minor character in one of the upcoming superhero films, but Beca couldn't act to save her life, so the rumors were going to have remain just that. Rumors.

She and her lawyer made their way to the private meeting room AngelMating had secured for them. Beca had sworn to never enter into another AngelMating building ever again if she could help it. Beca was pleasantly surprised to see a single person inside the room, having expected multiple lawyers to have to face down, much like it had been during the trial.

"Thank you again for agreeing to meet with us, Ms. Mitchell." Aubrey Posen, acting as AngelMating. Inc.'s legal counsel, smiled – although it didn't really ever touch her eyes. "We, here at A.M. are hopeful that we can settle this matter quickly and efficiently to the satisfaction of all parties involved."

Stacie Conrad, Beca's friend and personal lawyer, chuckled softly as she and Beca sat at the table. "It's not like you have given Ms. Mitchell much of a choice. She has received no less that fifteen certified letter correspondences and twice as many telephone calls. That doesn't even take into account the emails that have flooded all three of her accounts."

"Yes. Well."

Stacie continued on the attack. "On May seventeenth two thousand twelve, Judge Gail Abernathy- McKadden-Feinberger found in favor of my client. AngelMating, Inc. had to pay her in the amount of one million thirty two thousand eight hundred nineteen dollars, as well as to cease and desist all contact in regards to the matter. In exchange, Ms. Mitchell would sign a non-disclosure to the nature of the suit won and would drop any further litigation. All records were sealed and the matter was to be considered closed."

The blonde lawyer across the table sighed and nodded. "That is correct."

"Then why are you going against the ruling? You and your client have to be aware that you are opening yourselves up to further litigation." Stacie took a breath. "You are forcing my client's hand in this matter. What will it take for you to stop?"

Ms. Posen had the decency to blush. "I understand. And truthfully, I agree and side completely with your client, but we have a new situation that has come up. A.M. faces new litigation that could potentially bankrupt the company and destroy the happiness of millions of future soulmates."

Beca leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Of course.

"Explain." Stacie demanded.

When Beca opened her eyes, she found Aubrey Posen looking directly at her. "In the hopes that being frank will foster some goodwill, I have been instructed to offer some of the proprietary information that was blocked during the trial five years ago."

When she paused, Beca realized that she was looking for some type of sign from her. After glancing at Stacie and getting a slight nod, Beca nodded towards Aubrey.

"Great. AngelMating, Inc. contacted you in December of two thousand seven. At that time, they made you aware that a soulmate was waiting for you upon turning eighteen. At that time, you were not given the identity of your soulmate due to Onakuramara's Law of 2002, which protected and prevented adults from learning the identity of their future Halo match. All that was told to your future soulmate was that they had three years to wait for your Halo to go active."

"I already know this." Beca sighed in exasperation, while Stacie put her hand discreetly on her knee to keep quiet.

Aubrey continued. "You did not get your Halo installed when you turned eighteen."

"I was broke and practically living on the streets. How was I sup-"

"Beca." Stacie interrupted.

"Fine."

"I do understand, Ms. Mitchell. I'm not accusing or judging." Aubrey glanced at the folder in her hands. "Your soulmate, between the time of your coming of age and you actually having your Halo installed, fell in love with another and chose to uninstall their Halo. It was unprecedented, but not completely unheard of. However, this was the first time that so high of a match had been disregarded."

"My client knows all this. Ms. Posen." Stacie spoke before Beca could again. "Nothing you're saying is making me want to recommend to my client to listen further."

"Your soulmate, Ms. Mitchell, fell in love with an employee of AngelMating."

"What?" "Is that legal?" Stacie and Beca spoke simultaneously.

Aubrey was shaking her head. "No. It's not legal. And, in fact, it actually gets worse. Our employee… former employee, now, of course… became infatuated with your soulmate early on in the Halo installation process. While they were not their Wing Agent, the employee was able to access your soulmate's information. They used that information to arrange meeting outside of the AngelMating office setting, which allowed a friendship to foster and eventual led to romance."

The room was silent as Aubrey sipped at her water. "When you didn't immediately go in to have your Halo installed, our employee used that as a sign that you didn't want to be matched. They were even able to provide some actual facts that supported their statements. That, along with your soulmate having already entered into a physical and emotional relationship with the A.M. employee and was possibly questioning how good of a match you could be for them when they had seemingly found love with someone else… well, your soulmate uninstalled their Halo."

Beca wiped at her eyes. She wasn't going to cry, but it was going to be a close thing. "So… what? Why am I here?"

"Just under two years ago, your soulmate marrie-"

"Okay. Just stop." Beca interrupted. When Stacie squeezed her knee, Beca put her hand on top of her friend's hand. "Whoever you are talking about, they are not my soulmate. So let's either refer to them by their name or I'm gonna say to hell with all of this and leave. Got it?"

Aubrey Posen blinked several times before taking a deep breath. "I did say we were going to offer you the answers we previously denied you. As I was saying, about two years ago, Chloe Beale, the woman who had been matched with you through the wing match system, married Tom Mason, who at the time was an employee of AngelMating, Inc. Mr. Mason kept the marriage a secret from us, as Ms. Beale's maiden name would have immediately thrown up red flags."

"So Beca's once soulmate, Chloe Beale, is married?" Stacie asked. "Great. What does she want? A late wedding gift?"

"Five months ago, Mr. Mason's marriage became known when their son, Tommy, became sick. Mr. Mason required several days off, which we were happy to provide, but during a chance meeting at the hospital, Chloe Mason was recognized by her Wing Agent, Patricia "Fat Amy" Hobart, who subsequently alerted her superiors."

'Fat Amy?' Stacie and Beca mouthed to one another.

"Mr. Mason was immediately pulled in for potential disciplinary action. The management team in charge of the investigation also question his wife, Chloe Mason. Over the course of the month long interviews, the truth came out. Mrs. Mason immediately filed for divorce, which looks to be an almost certainty at the moment, especially with Tom Mason unemployed and currently in jail, due to matters both related and unrelated to hi spending divorce."

"I'm happy for her." Beca offered. "Why am I here?"

"Chloe wanted her Halo reactivated."

"Okay." Beca agreed. "Go for it. I hope her next soulmate match goes better for her this time."

The blonde sighed. "We reactivated her Halo three weeks ago."

Well, it was easy to see where this was headed now. AngelMating, Inc. had started harassing Beca almost exactly three weeks ago.

"So, Chloe matched with me again?"

"She did." Aubrey answered. "And you have refused to talk with us, which is perfectly understandable and within your rights. But, and this is the 'why' for this meeting… Chloe Mason is suing AngelMating for ruining her life and preventing her from being with her destined soulmate."

"Wow" Stacie offered so helpfully.

"Indeed. And she is completely right to think that. Our employee at the time used her personal and private information to interfere with her Wing Match. Worse, he did so in order to foster a romantic relationship for himself and the former Ms. Beale that led to her marrying him and completely disregarding one of the highest Halo matches within the last three decades. He was the cause of our having to pay Ms. Mitchell an obscene amount of money and has now left us wide open for further litigation that could potentially destroy AngelMating, Inc.

"To make matters worse for us, the sealing of court documents, at our own behest and insistence, in regards to Ms. Mitchell prevents us from giving Chloe Mason Ms. Mitchell's name. In fact, the only opportunity that AngelMating has is if Ms. Mitchell either agrees, in writing, for us to give Mrs. Mason her name… or for Ms. Mitchell to allow for AngelMating to reactivate her Halo."

"Uh, no." Beca laughed. "No to any of it. No way."

Aubrey looked like I had allowed wolves to rip out her vocal cords or something. "Is there anything we can offer? Any chance that there might be a way to provide Chloe Mason with the opportunity to meet with you? TO get to know you?"

Beca glanced over at Stacie. The tall, leggy brunette lawyer signed aloud. "Ms. Posen. Both I and my client do feel for you. This has to be a cluster-fuck of epic proportions that you are having to deal with. And I do sympathize, but there isn't going to be a happy ending for all parties that are involved."

"Just by maybe allowing us to give her Beca's name…"

"No." Stacie said. "It's not going to happen. To start with, my client is somewhat famous. She's not DJ Khaled famous, but she is on her way. The news that there is a soulmate out there could possibly bring negative publicity to my Beca. That is not something we are willing to take a chance on."

"But-"

"And before you begin thinking that my client is simply being a bitch to cause you trouble, understand that my client is engaged to be married."

"Married? But nothing in my research…"

"It hasn't been announced yet, as they are waiting for next week's Ellen interview to let the cat out of the bag, but Beca proposed to her longtime girlfriend, Emily Junk, last week while they were visiting Emily's mother and family for the July Fourth fireworks show over the Tennessee River in Muscle Shoals, Alabama."

Beca nodded when Aubrey glanced her way.

"But even if there was no relationship, my client has no trust in AngelMating before today's meeting, and nothing that I've heard today endears me to recommend to my client to change that stance." When Stacie looked at her, Beca nodded in complete agreement. "Frankly, the idea that an employee, former or not, could have maybe destroyed at least two lives of people that trusted your company with providing them with a love match; it scares me and makes we wonder if this might have happened before."

"I assure you-"

"Oh, I'm sure that this could be an isolated incident. Beca's luck could almost guarantee it."

"Hey!" Beca slapped Stacie's shoulder with the back of her hand.

"There's also several key points that, while may not immediately paint Beca in the best of light, are causes for concern for my client. You said that Chloe and Tom have a child together?" When Aubrey nodded, Stacie continued. "So, if Beca and Chloe were to get together, the man that essentially stole her soulmate away from her would have to be in Beca's life?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"So, a child from a previous marriage? A child my client would have to help raise? With her soulmate and her ex? An ex that my client will have to interact with for the rest of her life? Not to mention that Chloe gave up the Wing Match to be with that someone else, her ex, no matter that she was lied to. Mrs. Mason knew that she had a high match soulmate coming, yet chose to let that go?"

"But Mr. Mason-"

"Does AngelMating plan on offering restitution to my client for its employee causing her unnecessary pain and suffering?"

"Your client was paid alre-"

"My client received her due because of your company's abhorrent attitude and poor customer service in removing and uninstalling its Halo, something she only had installed on your word that she had a soulmate waiting. No, I'm talking about the money Beca is due considering that the whole fiasco was orchestrated by a horny frat boy wannabe that decided to use Celestial Technology for his own, twisted benefit."

Aubrey stood and began pacing. "No. We weren't wanting to pay out any more money. AngelMating was hoping to make everything right by putting two soulmates together, finally."

"Beca. Let's go."

At Stacie's words, Beca rose from the chair. She tried to ignore the absolute defeated look on Ms. Posen's face.

"For what it's worth," Beca offered before she walked out the door, "I'm sure that in another life, Chloe and I would have made it. I know that AngelMating has made some great matches. Several of the couples that Em and I hang out with were Wing Matched through their Halos. I am sorry that I can't offer you what you want. What she wants."

"Thank you, Ms. Mitchell."

"Goodbye, Ms. Posen. And tell Chloe that I hope she finds love one day. She deserves it."

/ / / / / / / / / /

NOTE:

This one came from "11 Hrs: 51 Mins: 45s" by dumbacapellapotatoes. As well as so many other stories about soulmates. The idea of a TIMER or tattoo or whatever sounds great, but I like the darker aspects of it.

Thanks for reading.


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